Savage Urges (The Phoenix Pack, #5)(57)
The leader sneered, “I do not converse with demons.”
The sounds of running footsteps made her tense. It was more like a stampede. “Looks like your other friends are joining us.” Sure enough, they all hurried out of the side alley . . . holding stakes? She snorted at Jeff. “Stakes? Seriously?” He actually flushed.
They slowed as they took in the situation, seeming confused as to what to do. That told her that Jeff was their leader too. He’d probably stationed them outside the front of the building as a decoy, forcing her to leave through the back—exactly where he’d be waiting.
“You might want to tell them to stay the f*ck away.”
Instead, Jeff’s mouth curved into an ugly smirk as he spread his free arm out wide. “Do your worst,” he dared Makenna. “Charge!” he hollered at the humans, shocking the shit out of her. The crazy bastards did. With a roar, they came at her with their stakes.
“Fuck.” She could run, she could stand and try to—
They halted. Just stopped dead, casting wary glances at something over her shoulder. She inhaled deeply. Ryan. Relief surged heavily through her and her wolf. Makenna didn’t think she’d ever been so glad to see anyone in her life.
He came to her side without making a single sound, radiating fury and danger. And for once, his emotions were evident in his expression and body language. It was only then that she heard other noises . . . footsteps, light and agile enough to go undetected by most. She inhaled deeply again, picking up other scents—Jaime, Dante, Tao, Trick, Dominic, Marcus, and Roni.
With one glance, Ryan took in the scene—took in the open hatch, the gathering of humans, the clawed net, the knife glinting beneath it, and Makenna’s hostage. It was easy enough to read what had happened. “They used a net on you?” rumbled Ryan as the other wolves fanned out around them.
“I could be wrong,” said Makenna. “But I don’t think these humans like me very much. Not that I’m complaining, but what brought you here?”
“The extremists attracted a news crew. I saw them on TV outside your building.” And Ryan had almost lost his f*cking shit. “You didn’t answer my calls.” That was when he had lost his f*cking shit. Panic had seized his body, taken over his mind, and sent his wolf insane. His pack had managed to calm him just enough to instill some rationality into him. But now, as it became obvious just how much danger Makenna had been in, the rationality began to slip away.
Makenna inwardly winced at his words. She’d forgotten to take her phone off “silent” mode when she woke up. Even so . . . “I was a little busy here with Jeff and his buddies.”
“I wonder if these little photos will feature on the news,” said Jaime. That was when Makenna noticed she had her cell phone out, snapping pictures of the net, the knife, and the humans.
“I remember when Derren once uploaded a video of violent extremists on YouTube,” said Roni. “It upset a lot of shifters.”
Dante nodded. “Those humans had to disappear for a while. Come to think of it, I don’t think they ever reappeared.”
Ryan growled as he smelled something. Blood. Makenna’s blood. “Where are you hurt, Kenna?” The words came out sharp and clipped.
“It’s just a gash on my thigh. It’s almost healing.” She watched Ryan take slow, deliberate, predatory steps as he moved to stand in front of Jeff, his eyes cold, hard, and menacing. Ryan always looked unnerving. Right now, he looked downright terrifying.
“Was it you that made her bleed?” Ryan asked Jeff.
Makenna shivered. Ryan’s normally bland voice vibrated with the need to hurt.
Jeff sneered. “Our Lord protects us. Your kind can do us no harm.” His words were confident. His tone wasn’t.
“Wrong,” rumbled Ryan, edging into Jeff’s personal space. The human stank of corruption, hatred, and a little bit of fear. “Very, very wrong.”
“If you know about shifters,” began Marcus, “you know how protective we are of our mates. You know we’ll die for them, kill for them. That guy right there wearing the glower from hell . . . he’s the mate of the female you targeted. I wouldn’t like to be any of you right now.”
Makenna started at that. Clearly Ryan had shared his belief with his pack mates, her wishes be damned.
“When the members of The Movement see you on the news and look at our photos, they won’t be happy bunnies either.” Dominic shook his head. He was referring to a band of shifters that protected their kind from the extremists. Not at all subtle or diplomatic, The Movement returned violence with violence—conveying that there would be repercussions for such prejudice and unprovoked attacks. That was most likely why the humans here all blanched.
“Yep,” agreed Tao. “The Movement will match a name to every face, will find every one of you. I’d say ‘God help you and your families,’ but not a thing will save you from them.”
“You didn’t answer my question,” Ryan growled at Jeff. “Was it you who made her bleed?” He barely sounded human. In truth, he didn’t feel all that human either. With the exception of his time in captivity, Ryan never lost control; he never snapped, and he never lashed out. One thing he never, ever did was show his pain. He was always calm and controlled in emotionally intense situations. Emotions got in the way. But this was Makenna, and that made everything different.